This article on “Worst Wedding Gifts Ever” was impressive. (Note: Link updated to the same content from another website, as the original one is no longer available.) Not really because of the content but because it highlights just how materialistic our society is. This article is just one part of a large collection of propaganda … Read more
I ran across a couple of threads at Financial-Planning.com about Missed Fortune 101 by Douglas Andrew. If you’ve read my previous posts about this book, you know that I’m not a big fan of this book. Anyway, here are a couple of threads by financial planners — some of them very heavily credentialed — that … Read more
How about “[a]n interest-only, payment skipping/minimum-payment-option-enabled, negatively amortizing, no-money-down, no documentation, prepayment-penalizing, 3-month LIBOR 40-year adjustable-rate mortgage with a balloon?” Let’s break this down, shall we? Interest-only means that you’re not paying down the principal, the mechanism by which you reduce what you owe to the lender; Payment skipping means that any interest you would … Read more
Walter Updegrave’s “Ask the Expert” column on CNN Money has an article entitled Starting with an interest-only loan which is a response to a reader’s question about — you guessed it! — starting with an interest-only loan with the purchase of a house. The reader is writing from Baltimore, which is a hot area for … Read more
I promised some more discussion about Douglas Andrew’s Missed Fortune 101 — which is not really an investment book as much as it is a plug for lenders and insurance companies. In this post I’ll talk about some of the points he brings up against paying down your mortgage faster. The main idea of the … Read more
I heard about Douglas Andrew’s Missed Fortune 101 when somebody recommended it for the “Best Financial Book I’ve Ever Read” series on FreeMoneyFinance. (FMF is merely the messenger, so don’t shoot him! :)) It immediately drew criticism from other readers. I posted a comment after reading part of the book and reading the reviews on … Read more
MSN House and Home featured an article on Top 10 Home Repairs. These are common ones — and ones that you can do very inexpensively. Among them: Leaky faucets — try replacing the washer or replacing the faucet Caulking — supplies will set you back $20 Torn door or window screens — $10 for 15 … Read more
There’s an excellent chance you’ve experienced a lapse in customer service or corporate stonewalling. The company in question gets some of your money that you feel it isn’t entitled to, and they won’t give it back. Or, more frustrating, they drag their feet, and treat it as an interest-free loan from you. Calls to customer … Read more